“After the tree was felled, poachers entered the park and sawed the trunk (or “bucked’ it) into portable pieces, leaving a trail of sawdust and abandoned equipment behind.”   This isn’t a description of tree-poaching in the Amazon, or the rainforests of Central Africa or South East Asia, but in British Columbia. Lyndsie Bourgon has written a fascinating account of illegal logging in the ancient woodlands of North West America, with some trees being more than 2,000 years old, where tree and forest conservation intersect with industrial and community decline, as well as poverty, drug addi ..read more

The digital world has long been a haven for criminals; the dark web has operated as an underground marketplace for all manner of illicit trade, whereas online services offer a degree of anonymity - and the ability to operate at scale and at distance - that in-person services don’t allow. Human trafficking is no exception to this rule: the rise and expansion of the digital world has enabled traffickers to expand and streamline operations - and allowed more people to enter the trade. With estimates of the global number of victims of human trafficking and modern slavery now hovering around 50 mil ..read more

Over the past month the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has underscored the UAE’s progress to stamp out financial crime in the country. In its newly published third enhanced follow-up report (FUR), the international watchdog upgraded three of its recommendation ratings for the UAE. This comes on the heels of FATF also recognising progress made by the UAE in its FATF action plan to improve aspects identified during the organisation’s greylisting of the country. FATF highlighted strides made towards enhancing and maintaining a shared understanding of money laundering and terrorist financing r ..read more

Lebanon, a country once considered the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” is in the midst of a severe economic crisis that has shaken a nation already grappling with political instability and regional conflicts. An entrenched political elite has long run the economy for personal gains, undermining the credibility of the state. Inevitably, the economy has become hugely cash reliant given the severe drop in the value of the currency. In 2022, the World Bank estimated that the cash economy was worth close to $10 billion, or over 45% of Lebanon's GDP, a trend that is likely to persist, if not incre ..read more

Cannabis has been legalised for both medical and recreational use in a number of countries over the past decade and more countries are expected to follow suit; this trend has fuelled tremendous growth in this market, with global revenue projected to reach US$47.2 billion in 2023 and increase by 12.7% per annum thereafter. As a result, the industry has benefited from massive investment as more and more individuals and organisations seek to profit from this growth. The fact that cannabis remains illegal across most of the world, however, has given rise to questions over whether the proceeds gene ..read more

At the end of March, the UK Government released an updated Economic Crime Plan with intentions and goals in the economic crime sphere for the 2023 to 2026 period, built on an investment of £400 million. The first Plan was published in 2019 and was built on a vision: “For the public and private sectors to jointly deliver a holistic plan that defends the UK against economic crime, prevents harm to society and individuals, protects the integrity of the UK economy, and supports legitimate growth and prosperity.” Since 2019, the UK has achieved a number of its goals from the previous periods, inclu ..read more

Transparency and Beneficial Ownership in the UK Property Market While it is nothing new to hear stories of corrupt elites owning UK property in rather dubious circumstances, The Times published a joint investigation with Transparency International earlier this month that showcases the truly brazen manner in which some individuals linked to illicit activities purchase and maintain property in the country. In one case, it was revealed that a multi-million pound flat in Kensington was registered to the eight-year-old daughter of Vladimir Gruzdev, a close associate of Putin’s. This ..read more

Themis announces today that they are opening new offices with Runway East, the contemporary office provider “fighting boring offices since 2014”. This partnership reflects Themis’ ongoing investment in its mission to normalise due diligence and protect companies and people from unknown or unwanted associations with criminals or organised crime. The company, which recently announced that it had raised £3.1 million its Pre-Series A round, helps both companies and individuals really understand their clients, suppliers and third parties.  This announcement  also coincides with B Corp Mon ..read more

Corruption - the abuse of entrusted or public power for private gain - is a major obstacle for sustainable economic development in many parts of the world. It enforces wealth disparity and inequitable access to public resources and enables a raft of financial crimes, including modern slavery and human trafficking, the illegal wildlife trade, drugs and weapons trafficking, and fraud.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI - or EDI, as it is sometimes known) - covers multiple different dimensions. Gender, race, ethnicity, age, engagement, opportunity and disability are some of the more visib ..read more

Today is World Wildlife Day and the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Themis’ Illegal Wildlife Trade Toolkit has also just been shortlisted for the International Compliance Association (ICA) Awards’ ESG Initiative of the Year - so it seems like a good time to take stock of where we are in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade (IWT).  IWT as an organised crime Global efforts to crack down on IWT - thought to be the world’s fourth most lucrative financial crime - have continued to progress, with an important, recent slew of l ..read more